Thoughts on the 4-8-24 Total Eclipse

I knew the eclipse would be passing my way, but I didn't give much thought other than it would be something interesting to witness. After all, I had seen a partial eclipse in 2017 and many lunar eclipses, but never one in totality. 

I live in Dayton, Ohio, but I drove two hours north to Holgate to witness the event with my parents. We switched between watching local and national news coverage of the eclipse as the path traversed across a swath of North America. Anticipation was growing that this stretch of rural Ohio would be part of a rare astronomical phenomenon.

When the afternoon arrived, there was bright sun with minimal cloud cover. The time of totality would be 3:10:49pm, as the time drew closer it began to gradually get darker. About 10-15 minutes before, it was darkening inside the house as if a storm was on the way. I kept checking with my eclipse glasses until totality arrived. 

Although I knew what was coming from a practical sense, I still wasn't quite prepared for the sensory overload of when it happened. It got dark - fast! Birds were flying lower. Insects were buzzing. Shouts and cheers could be heard around the small town. And the transformed sun in the sky, a black and simmering silver sphere, it was both wondrous and unnerving. It felt new and old at the same time.

One's eyes aren't exactly sure what to do. Gaze at the eclipsed sun (Venus also appeared) or take in the sudden darkness, your cognition is thrown out of balance. Time slows down as if in a waking dream. The mysterious and overwhelming power of the universe has revealed itself.

Part of what makes an eclipse special is that it's such a fleeting experience, a brief glimpse into eternity, a tenuous link with the past and future. I find myself playing the moment over and over, trying to replay it like a movie reel. But unless one has unlimited funds to seek eclipses out; for most it's a one-time occurrence.

For the rest of the day my parents and I reflected on what we witnessed. We all agreed it was far more profound than we expected. The sudden swift to normality was a bit jarring! My Mom cooked a chicken dinner and were glad we saw it together.

One is reminded life moves in the blink of an eye - and it can often be confusing and contradictory. We question our decisions and lament the futility of trying to find the time to do things. Yet for a few minutes the universe reminds us we exist, and it exists - and in that space we see the wonder.